The Road not Taken
by White-Tigers-of-Darkness
Summary: Sam never went with Dean to find their Dad and fight the Lady in White. Instead he stayed home with Jess. Little does he know, that's what the Yellow-Eyed Demon wanted all along. ON HOLD!
1. Chapter 1

My first ever Supernatural fic so sorry if the characters are a little off.

Plot: Sam didn't go with Dean that night. Instead, he stayed home with Jess. Little does he know, that's exactly what the yellow eyed demon wanted.

Disclaimer: I don't own Supernatural. If I did, then I would have given in to the writers strike right away to produce a 4th season. Therefore, you can tell that I don't own Supernatural. Anyway, on with the story.

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We all know that each action we make must have an equal and opposite reaction. We also know that anything is possible if we simply make a different decision. This is not a story on the reality we know, the reality that led to Sam joining his brother on a road trip of blood, death, survival and friendship, but another, completely possible reality. A reality where Sam chose another path to follow. And it all started that fateful night when Dean dropped in to tell his brother some important news.

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Sam woke up suddenly, wondering faintly why. He sat up and looked over to where Jess slept, blissfully unaware of all the supernatural dangers in the world around her. Sam slowly sank back onto the bed grinning at the little bit of normality in his life. The floorboards creaked, causing Sam to sit up and look across the room. He rose quietly from the bed and walked soundlessly out to the living room. Despite being many years out of practice, his night vision was still good enough to see a shadow as someone walked into the other room. He jumped out as the figure passed and grabbed its arm. The man lashed out, hitting Sam. Sam continued to trade blows with the other man for a few more moments before he finally lost his balance and fell to the ground. Before Sam had time to pull himself up, the man was pinning him to the ground. Slowly, Sam was able to make out the face of his attacker.

"Whoa, easy, tiger." Dean said, grinning down at his younger brother.

"Dean?" Sam asked, glaring up at his brother in annoyance. Dean laughed at Sam's discomfort.

Sam breathed heavily, still looking annoyed. "You scared the crap out of me." He stated.

"That's cause you're out of practice" Dean replied.

Sam rolled his eyes at his brothers reply and kicked Dean, causing him to fall over. Within seconds, Dean was pinned under Sam. Dean laughed again. "Or not…" he added.

Slowly, Sam released his grip, unsure if Dean would continue the fight. After a few moments of silence, as Dean pulled himself to his feet, Sam let loose the question that he was dying to ask. "Dean, what the hell are you doing here?"

Dean grinned "Well I was looking for a beer." He joked.

Sam rolled his eyes again, knowing his brother all too well. "What the hell are you doing here?" he repeated in a different and more dangerous tone of voice.

Dean stopped grinning. "Okay, all right, we gotta talk." he said, looking serious.

Sam looked his brother full in the face. "Uh, the phone?" he questioned.

It was Dean's turn to roll his eyes. "If I'd have called, would you have picked up?" he questioned.

Both men blinked, startled, as the light flicked on. After a few moments, Sam turned to face the intruder to their conversation. It was Jess. "Sam?" she asked, looking from her boyfriend to Dean.

Sam looked at Jess, realising that he couldn't avoid the introductions now. "Jess, hey. Dean, this is my girlfriend Jessica." he said, hoping that Dean wouldn't make a big deal out of it.

Jess looked at Sam, a look of confusion on her face. "Wait, your brother Dean?" she asked.

Sam looked over to Dean, who had his eyes fixed on Jessica's chest. Not for the first time, he felt like killing his brother. He watched as Dean made a comment on Jessica's 'Smurfs' shirt before looking her up and down again "You know I gotta tell you, you are completely out of my brother's league."

Jess looked down at her night clothes, embarrassment clear on her face. "Just let me put something on." she muttered.

Dean help out his hand to stop her. "No, no, no, I wouldn't dream of it…Seriously. Anyway, I gotta borrow your boyfriend here, talk about some private family business, but, uh, nice meeting you."

Sam watched his brother, deciding in his mind that he wasn't going to play Dean's Games anymore. He walked over to Jess and gripped her hand efficiently. "No. Whatever you wanna say you can say it in front of her."

Dean looked uneasy at Sam's reply and paused to consider his next sentence. "Okay. Um…dad hasn't been home in a few days."

Sam felt his stomach drop but managed to keep a straight face. He shrugged "So he's working over-time. He'll stumble back in sooner or later." He replied, knowing full well that Dean wasn't talking about that.

Dean sighed. "Dad's on a hunting trip and he hasn't been home in a few days." he stated.

Sam finally let his face fall. "Jess, excuse us. We have to go outside." he said without looking at his girlfriend.

Carefully, he detangled himself from Jessica's grip and followed his brother out of the apartment.

"You know, that wasn't the welcome I was expecting" Dean said casually, as Sam followed him down the stairs. "Anyway, I'll explain everything on the way"

Sam glared at his brothers retreating back. "Come on Dean, you can't just break in, in the middle of the night, and expect me to hit the road with you."

Dean stopped and looked back at his brother. "You're not hearing me Sammy. Dad's missing; I need you to help me find him."

Sam rolled his eyes, refusing to give in to Dean's kicked puppy look. "You remember the poltergeist in Amherst, or the devil's gates in Clifton? He's always missing and he's always fine."

Dean turned around and started walking, forcing Sam to follow him "Not for this long. Now you gonna come with me or not?"

Sam stopped and crossed his arms "I'm not" he said defiantly.

Dean paused again to look at him. "Why not?" he questioned.

Sam stood his ground. "I swore I was done hunting for good." he stated firmly.

Dean stared at his brother. "Come on, it wasn't easy, but it wasn't that bad."

Sam raised an eyebrow questioningly "Yeah? When I told dad when I was scared of the thing in my closet he gave me a .45."

Dean looked slightly confused. "Well what was he supposed to do?"

Sam groaned at his brothers willful stupidity. "I was 9 years old. He was supposed to say "Don't be afraid of the dark.""

Dean looked slightly horrified. "Don't be afraid of the dark? What are you kidding me of course you should be afraid of the dark! You know what's out there!"

Sam caved in "Yeah I know but still-- the way we grew up after mom was killed, and dad's obsession to find the thing that killed her, but we still haven't found the damn thing."

Dean didn't bother to fight this logic. "But we save a lot of people doing it."

Sam knew he had to fight, before he caved in completely to his brother. "You think mom would have wanted this for us?" he asked as Dean started walking again "The weapon training and melting the silver into bullets? Dean, we were raised like warriors."

Dean turned around quickly, making Sam jump. "So, what are you gonna do? You just gonna live some normal life? Is that it?"

Sam could hear the anger in Deans voice. He knew he had to be careful when ever the topic of Mary Winchester was brought up. "No. Not normal. Safe"

"And that's why you ran away?" Dean asked, scoffing at Sam.

This was too much of an injustice for Sam. "I was just going to college. It was dad who said if I was gonna go, I should stay gone. And that's what I'm doing." he said, trying to keep the bitterness out of his voice.

Dean ignored Sam's tone of voice as the two men reached Dean's black Impala in the parking lot. "Yeah well dad's in real trouble if he's not dead. I can feel it. I can't do this alone." He looked up at his brother pleadingly.

Sam looked at his brother, not convinced at Deans show of weakness. "Yes you can." he stated.

Dean shrugged "Yeah. Well, I don't want to."

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In one reality, this is where it all begins for Sam. This is where he gives in and joins his brother on a road trip that ultimately sealed fate for Jessica. That is the reality where Jess died. But that is that reality. This is another reality. A reality where Sam stayed home.

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It was Sam's turn to shrug. "Yeah, Well tough luck." he said.

He turned and started heading back towards the apartment. Behind him, Dean cursed.

"FINE THEN JERK!" Dean shouted.

Sam turned back to look at his brother, surprised at Dean's anger.

Dean glared at Sam, anger still visible on his face. "Just tell me one thing Sammy." he said. "Why?"

Sam groaned and walked back towards his brother. "Look Dean. I have an interview. A really important interview in a few days. I can't miss it."

"So what? Your just going to sit here while Dad might be in danger? Like a good little collage boy?" Dean snapped.

"Hey! News flash for you Dean. I am a collage boy. Ok!" Sam replied angrily.

Both brothers glared at each other, daring the other to make a move. After a few minutes of silence, Sam broke his gaze to lean against the car. After a few more minutes, Sam sighed.

"Listen Dean. This Interview is really important me." he said.

Next to him, Dean nodded. "I know. And I know you wouldn't abandon dad unless it was. I can't force you to go back to hunting. I just thought…" he trailed off.

Sam looked over to his brother and sighed. "Hey, if you haven't found dad after the interviews over, come and get me. Cos I wanna find him and I wanna help."

Dean looked over at Sam and nodded. Then he pulled the door of the Impala open and jumped in. Sam bent down and knocked on the passenger window until Dean reached over and rolled it down.

"Just so you know, Jess and I don't mind if you want to crash here for the night." Sam said.

Dean grinned. "Wouldn't dream of it Sammy." he put the car into gear, forcing Sam to step away. Then he stopped the car. "Oh and Sam?" Sam looked at Dean, who winked at him. "Knock em dead at the Interview!"

As Sam watched, the Impala sped off into the night, taking with it, the only person who really knew him. Sam shook his head and grinned, before turning back to the apartment, where Jess was waiting for him.

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Well, that was very strange. The truth behind this story, is that I watched the pilot last night and then jumped on the computer. I think I was half asleep cos my memory of writing this is sort of hazy. I found it this morning and after the whole 'WTF' period, I edited it and decided to post it. So feed back would be very welcome. Oh, and so you know, the first bit of dialogue is accurate. I lost count of how many times I re-watched that scene this morning.

There may be a second chapter or even a full story, if I can remember what I was planning when I wrote this.


	2. Chapter 2

Well, I still can't really remember the plot I had in mind for this story except this bit here. So I decided to write it in the hopes that I will remember more soon.

Just to recap, this is set in a different reality, where Sam never went with Dean in the pilot. Oh and just so you know, I have no idea if anyone has done this idea yet. If you have, then I'm sorry if I stole your idea.

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Sam sat up suddenly, very awake and aware of his dark surroundings. Quickly, he scanned the room, ensuring that the dream was just a dream. Then he let out the shudder he had been fighting. God, he could still remember the dream so vividly.

_A dark figure standing over the bed, a woman in white, with her hands in his chest, Jess pinned to the ceiling, crying for his help, a car driving towards him, no driver visible, the dark figure turns, yellow eyes glowing._

Sam let out another shudder and looked down to the figure on the bed next to him. Jess met his gaze with a hint of worry in her sleepy brown eyes.

"Sam?" she asked quietly, pushing herself up slightly.

Sam gently reached over and stopped her from sitting up. "Sorry I woke you." he said.

Jess looked at Sam's face for a few moments. His heavy breathing and sweaty face left her in no doubt of what had happened. "Bad dream?" she asked quietly.

Sam looked down at her for a moment. '_You have no idea'_ he thought to himself. Seeing the worry on her face, he nodded.

Jess reached up and placed a hand on Sam's shoulder, pulling back down to rest his head on her shoulder. "Will you tell me about it?" she asked softly, running a hand through Sam's hair.

Sam wanted to. He wanted to tell Jess everything. Everything about his life and his job and his family. "I can't really remember." he whispered.

"Oh" Jess replied, sounding slightly disappointed.

The two of them lay in silence for a while, enjoying being together. After a few minutes, Sam could hear Jessica's breathing slowing down. He shivered slightly, his t-shirt wet with sweat and his throat dry. Finally, he pushed himself out of the bed and walked towards the door. There was a soft groan from the bed. "Sam?" Jess asked yet again.

"Just getting a drink." Sam replied. Behind him, Jess sighed. Sam quietly, pushed the door closed so he wouldn't disturb her, leaving only a small creak of light. Then he started to navigate the dark hall way. Something wrapped around his foot. Sam jumped slightly and managed to keep his balance. He looked down at the ground and groaned as the bag fell over.

Dean had called earlier in the afternoon to tell Sam that he hadn't found John Winchester and that Sam would have to be ready to leave as soon as the interview was over. Sam had packed a bag of clothes (and when Jess wasn't looking, weapons) and left it in the hall way, where he now stood. He sighed and pushed the bag out of the way, before walking to the kitchen.

Despite the curtains, light was steaming in from the street lamp outside. Sam walked over and flicked aside the curtains. He looked out onto the street and couldn't help but grin. It was parked outside, just visible in the light. The black Impala. Dean's car. Sam watched as the figure in the car moved slightly. Shaking his head, Sam let the curtain go and went to the sink for his glass of water, all the time, grinning at his brothers lack of common sense.

Finally, he put the glass down and shivered again. Remembering about his wet shirt, he pulled it off and started his search for the washing bag. From the bedroom, he could hear Jess sigh. Sam smiled and managed to unearth the bag, throwing the sodden shirt in. Then he looked at the clock. 6 hours till his interview. Sam quickly rejected his thoughts on turning on the TV. From the bedroom, Jess gave a small sob. Then another. Sam felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. Something was deadly wrong. Slowly, Sam walked through the hall to his bag. Quietly, he unzipped it and rummaged through, finally unearthing his favorite knife. He slipped it into his pocket, and rummaged again, this time unearthing his shot gun. He quickly checked that it was loaded and walked to the bedroom door. Jess' cries were faster. Deep sods of pain and fear.

Sam, staying in the shadows, managed to find the creak in the door and look in. His and Jess' bed was empty. Sam opened his mouth to call for her when a black shadow passed through his view. He watched as the visibly human shape walked around the bed to a figure in white. It was Jess. She was pinned to the wall. The black figure started to speak in a soft yet dangerous voice.

"I know he is here, pretty little Jessica. I will find him and you will die." it said.

From her place on the wall, Jess was crying. Sam couldn't suppress a gasp of horror as an invisible force started dragging her up the wall to the ceiling. Sam had seen enough. He gripped the gun in both hands and kicked the door. It flew open. He ran in, firing at the figure. The figure took both bullets in the chest and crumpled into black smoke. The smoke disappeared.

With a small scream, Jess fell to the ground. Sam managed to take a step towards her before something pulled him violently backwards, pinning him to the wall and sending his gun flying under the bed. The black figure stepped out of the shadows towards Sam, ignoring Jess. Sam couldn't stop his gasp of pain as the pressure holding him to the wall increased.

"Well, Sam Winchester. We meet again." it said.

Sam found himself staring into its eyes. They were bright yellow. Suddenly cold realisation hit him. He knew now who this demon was.

"You!" he whispered as once again, the pressure increased. He winched and let out a small cry of pain. The demon chuckled.

On the bedside table, Sam's phone went off. Across the room, Jess caught Sam's eye as she slowly stood up. Sam realised with faint horror, what she was about to do. Jess jumped towards the phone. The demon swung around. Jess gave a small scream as she was thrown violently onto the ceiling above the bed. The demon gave a small laugh and picked up the phone. It stopped ringing. Without interest, it threw the phone over its shoulder. Then it turned back to Sam.

"At last." it said. "No one left to help. No mother to interrupt me. No father to protect you."

Sam remembered the knife in his pocket. Ignoring the pain, he started to pulled his arms across the wall, towards the knife. The demon laughed again. The knife flew from his pocket and imbedded itself in the wall next to him.

"Very good, little hunter!" it said. "But not quiet good enough."

The demon took a step forward and was suddenly right in front of him, reaching up towards his face. Sam gasped as cold, skeletal fingers were pushing against his forehead. Then he screamed.

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Dean woke suddenly as the sound of a gun shot reached his ears, banging his head on the wheel of the Impala. As he heard the second gun shot, he felt his stomach turn to jelly. That sound could only be coming from Sam's flat. Dean kicked the door open and jumped out of the car, running around towards the boot. He rummaged inside for a moment, before locating his shot gun. Pulling it out, he checked it was loaded before pulling out his phone. He dialed Sam's number and held it to his ear as he started to run towards the flat.

"Come on Sammy. Answer the phone" he whispered to himself. After a few moments, the phone turned itself off. Dean cursed and ran up the stairs.

As he reached the door, the scream started. Quickly, Dean analysed the doors weak spots, before drawing his foot back and kicking. The door flew open. Dean dived into the apartment and ran through the hall, almost tripping over the bag on the floor, when the scream abruptly stopped. The bedroom door was already open so Dean dived in, already scanning the room for his baby brother. Then he saw it. A black demon looming over Sam, who was trapped against the wall. The demon had its hands over Sam's forehead. Sam's eyes were closed, his face twisted in a silent scream. Dean aimed the shot gun and fired. The demon let go of Sam as the bullet struck its side. Quickly, it turned to look at Dean, its yellow eyes glowing in the darkness. Then it smiled. The second bullet hit it in the chest. The demon twisted into a cloud of smoke, rushing past Dean and out the door. Dean jumped as someone screamed behind him and swung around. The bed bounced with the sudden impact as Jess landed. Dean realised with horror that she had been pinned to the ceiling. He turned to look at his baby brother. Sam had slid down the wall and was in a heap on the floor. Dean ran to him and turned him around before gasping. On Sam's forehead, were four inter crossing cuts, resembling an unfinished star. As Dean watched, the cuts slowly closed up and vanished. Carefully, Dean lent his brothers head against his chest and turned to Jess, who was gripping the bed and watching him with fearful eyes.

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Well, that's it for this chapter. As I said before, I can't really remember what I was planning so if there is any new chapters, it will take some time. Anyway, hope you enjoyed this bit. Oh, and any suggestions anyone has as to what will happen next would be completely welcome.


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